Equality must go hand-in-hand with cooperation for water

Eight UN
experts, one message: “Progress and equality must go
hand-in-hand with cooperation for water”

Geneva, 22
March 2013 – A group of UN human rights experts on water
and sanitation, food, extreme poverty, environment, health,
discrimination against women, violence against women and the
promotion of an equitable, democratic international order
marks World Water Day, which this year is devoted to Water
Cooperation.

“In all we do, whoever we are and however
we live – water is central to our lives. We need water
every single day to meet basic needs: for drinking and
cooking, for our personal hygiene, to grow the food we eat,
to keep us healthy. Water is essential for the health of
ecosystems. And water is also needed for industry and for
tourism, among others.

Increasingly, water is subject to
allocation through market mechanisms, with the risk that the
poor will be priced out. It is crucial to ensure cooperation
between the competing users of water, to ensure that the
human rights of all are realized and also that the most
marginalized and vulnerable are not negatively affected by
unequal resource allocation at every turn, by every decision
on water resource allocation.

Human rights require that
considerations of the needs of marginalized and vulnerable
individuals and groups are prioritized, and that the
necessary resources are affordable to those who need
them.”

Water and sanitation“On the
missions that I undertake for the UN, I systematically
witness the negative effects of climate change, increased
water scarcity for the most vulnerable people and often a
complete neglect of peoples’ right to water in face of
other water uses, as agri-business, large-scale industry and
tourism. It is clear that individual people’s rights must
come first and to make this happen, different users must
come together, cooperate and make sure that the available
water reaches everyone in conditions of quality and
affordability.” The UN Special Rapporteur on the human
right to water and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque

Food“Freshwater resources are essential for
agriculture to sustain the world population with adequate
and nutritious food. However, while 70% of all water
resources are used for agriculture, all too often this
precious and frequently limited resource is not equally
shared between all those who need it, but is rather
distributed according to who can afford to pay the most, or
who owns the land under which it is located.” The UN
Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier de
Schutter

Extreme poverty“Persons living
in poverty are disproportionately affected by limited access
to water and are often forced to inhabit areas in which
access to water is restricted owing to cost, lack of
infrastructure, denial of services to persons without secure
tenure, poor resource management, contamination or climate
change. Access to clean water is key to reducing many
aspects of poverty and States must take measures to ensure
that persons living in poverty are not charged higher rates
for water services owing to consumption levels.” The UN
Special Rapporteur on human rights and extreme poverty,
Magdalena Sepúlveda

Environment“Improved water resources and wastewater management
are key to ensuring a safe and healthy environment.
Overexploitation of many of the surface water resources and
great aquifers upon which irrigated agriculture and domestic
supplies depend has resulted in more and more countries
facing water stress or scarcity. Within those countries, it
will be those living in remote areas, the marginalized and
vulnerable who are most negatively affected by this water
scarcity.” The UN Independent Expert on human rights
and the environment, John Knox

Health“Safe water and adequate sanitation are key underlying
determinants of health. We have seen too often when
inadequate access to water and sanitation has undermined the
realization of the right to health by threatening life,
devastating health, eroding human dignity and causing
deprivation. International cooperation is essential to
improve water supply, manage water resources and treat
waste-water. Better water management, including the
protection of water ecosystems, through enhanced cooperation
between all stakeholders is also crucial in preventing,
controlling and reducing water-related diseases. These are
indispensable steps to ensure the human right to health for
everyone everywhere.” The UN Special Rapporteur on the
right to health, Anand Grover

International
order“With the growth of the world population,
the global climate change and the need for a greater healthy
environment, access to water resources has become a crucial
condition for the realization of an equitable international
order, where the needs of the peoples are effectively
addressed. In this regard, the need for international
cooperation, including in joint effort with relevant
non-state actors, is paramount to ensure water is made
available to all without discrimination. Water is a human
right, an enabling right, not a mere commodity.” The UN
Independent Expert on the promotion of an equitable and
democratic international order, Alfred de Zayas

Discrimination against women and violence against
women“States must pay attention to the gender
dimensions of water supply and distribution since women are
intrinsically linked to water resources because of their
roles and responsibilities in using and managing water, in
particular in rural areas. Since women and girls often cook,
clean, farm, and provide health care and hygiene for their
households, they are on the front lines of their
communities’ water issues. They often have to travel
considerable distances to collect water, facing an enhanced
risk of sexual and other forms of violence. Women’s voices
must be heard at local, national and international levels if
global equity is to prevail in the water-scarce world we are
living in.” The UN Working Group on the issue of
discrimination against women in law and in practice, Ms.
Kamala Chandrakirana, Chair-Rapporteur; and the Special
Rapporteur on violence against women, Ms. Rashida Manjoo

“Let us celebrate this International Year of Water
Cooperation by appreciating the services we have – and
ensuring that those without access to this resource, to this
incomparable service, gain access – without prejudice -
through cooperation between the many different parties with
a claim to this planet’s most precious elixir, in all we
do, whoever we are and however we live.”

Nelson Mandela, then Deputy President of the African National Congress of South Africa, raises his fist in the air while addressing the Special Committee Against Apartheid in the General Assembly Hall. UN Photo/P. Sudhakaran More>>